Telling Her Story
by elledottore
Summary: Forty years after Oz is rid of the Wicked Witch of the West, a young songwriter, rapper, and playwright from Quox named Loya Samete decides to tell Elphaba's story, and learns what it means to be green in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! New story!**

 **So, as I said in my last A/N of Motionless, this story will be a little bit different. This isn't Elphaba, Galinda, and the rest going to Shiz and stuff. This story revolves around an OC, which I know is dangerous and spawned THE WORST fanfic of all time, My Immortal. If you haven't read it, DON'T! It's awful. But I like my OC, and she is not a fill in for me. If anything, she's a fill in for Lin Manuel Miranda. Yeah, this story is kind of a love letter to both Hamilton and Wicked.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

 _I'm home!_ _  
_ _Where the coffee's non-stop_ _,  
And I drop this hip-hop  
_ _In my mom and pop shop.  
I'm home!  
Where people come, people go.  
Let me show all of these people what I know_ _:  
_ _There's no place like home!_ _  
_ _And let me set the record straight!  
_ _I'm steppin' to Vanestor,  
I'm gettin' a second date_ _.  
_ _I'm home!_ _  
_ _Where it's_ _a hundred in the shade_ _,  
_ _But with patience and faith, we remain unafraid.  
I'm home!  
You hear that music in the air?  
Take the train to the top of the world,  
And I'm there.  
I'm home!_

I sang that last note out loud and clear with the ensemble backing me up. Then, the orchestra did its big finale, the curtain fell, and _Ozma Heights_ ended its run in the Emerald City. I barely had enough time to share relieved/overwhelmed looks with my company mates before the curtain went up again and we had to bow. We did it altogether; I didn't like it when theater companies had the leading actors and actresses bow last. It added an unnecessary hierarchy among cast members. We all had made _Ozma Heights_ happen, so we all deserved equal credit.

But before the curtain could close again, Rain, who played my best friend in the show (she was also kind of my best friend in real life), shouted, "Yo! Let Loya have an amplifier!"

And of course, since Rain has that kind of voice that makes people do stuff, a voice amplifier was soon in my hands. I had to freestyle. Everyone in that theater was expecting me to freestyle. _Here goes nothing …_ "And I know how upset some of y'all are gettin'. But listen, _Ozma Heights_ ain't closing, this is spreading! And yeah, I'm up here up lookin' grand, but one day you'll be somewhere in Munchkinland, somewhere chillin' in some theater lobby long after I retire, some little high-schooler's gonna be playin' Ozaia! I want all y'all to drive this, that little Ozian kid is gonna know what a Quoxian flag is! Wherever you all roam, remember for a time that the EC was home." Everyone cheered. Some people screamed. I dramatically dropped the amplifier onto the stage, and then headed back to the wings, my castmates in tow.

It was crazy backstage. Cato, who played my love interest Vanestor, shook my shoulders and exclaimed, "Dreams come true, bitch! You did it!"

"We all did it," I corrected him. "Man, am I gonna miss kissing you eight times a week!"

"Ah, then you're just going to have to write me into another show! I'll be waiting!"

Suddenly, Rain appeared from behind me. "Hey girlfriend, what do ya say we get into some sexy street clothes and get a few drinks?"

I groaned. "Aw, I wish I could, but I have an interview tomorrow morning, and then I gotta catch a train to Ciudad Quoxia."

"How long are you gonna be in Quox, girl?! I'mma miss you!"

"I'll be back in the fall. _The Emerald City Times_ wants me to be a part of their 'news theatre' program, remember? And I have to come up with something to do for Lady Fabala's arts thingie. I really don't want to do anything from _Heights,_ you know? I don't want to be a one trick pony."

Rain chuckled. "Loya, you are anything but a one trick pony. You'll come up with something. I'm counting on it."

The next morning, I was on the motion picture show _Wake Up, EC_. I was announced with my usual titles: "Award winning Loya Samete, creator and star of the hit musical, _Ozma Heights_." I was almost used to that now. I was asked the typical questions, so I yapped about growing up in Ozma Heights with immigrant parents from Quox, how my mom couldn't speak any Ozish when she first came to this country, how theatre in the EC should be more diverse … blah blah blah. But then, one of the hosts asked me, "So, now that _Ozma Heights_ is closed, what's next for you?"

"I don't know," I answered, almost completely honestly. "But for now, I'm going to take a vacation in my homeland, Quox, and just … breathe. Respira." Two out of the three hosts smiled at my reference to _Ozma Heights_. But their question did make me wonder: what would I do after the news theater and the arts celebration? Well, now was not the time to worry about that. I was going to Quox, where my mom probably already had a cake made for me, and where my dad had already mostly likely bragged to his old friends about me. _There really is no place like home._

My train was due to leave at eleven, and I got to the station at about nine thirty. There really was no need to go my platform yet, so I sat and waited in the lobby, content to peoplewatch. A Gilikinese woman ran so fast across the lobby that she tore her skirt. A Boar in a business suit walked by, talking loudly on his mobile phone. Two Quadling teenage boys goofed around near a statue of Lady Glinda, much to the annoyance of the adults around them. A Lioness sat down next to me, and chewed noisily on some beef.

Presently, a young man plopped down on my other side, eyes fixed on me. "I don't mean to bother you," he said. "But I think I saw you on the news this morning. You did some … play, right?"

"Musical," I clarified automatically. "But yeah, I did." I couldn't help but smile at him. He was more than a little handsome. The golden tint of his skin betrayed his Ixaan heritage, but his brown hair and blue eyes showed that he had some Ozian blood too, most likely Munchkinlander.

What he said next confirmed my suspicions. "Good on you for writing something about immigrants. My grandparents are from Ix. I'm Vanestor, by the way."

 _Oh my Oz, the real life Vanestor! This is too good to be true._ I had named my character Vanestor after a childhood friend, but a little romantic fantasy couldn't hurt … "Well, I-I'm Loya. Loya Samete. I'm going home to Quox. I-I mean, Quox isn't really my home; I have an apartment here in the EC, but my family's from there, so it's kind of my home. That whole dilemma is kind of what my show's about." _Nice work, Loya. Keeping the rambling in check._

Vanestor smiled. "Well then, I'm sorry it closed before I could see it." His smile made my insides turn to mush. But then, he suddenly noticed the clock on the wall and panicked. "Oh damn! I'm meeting a friend in fifteen clock ticks over at Tiknor. But here's my number." He wrote down his number on a napkin and handed it to me. "Call me. And have fun in Quox." He left, and it took me a few clock ticks to start breathing again. _This could be the start of something wonderful._

About a half hour before my train came, I wandered over to the station bookshop, looking for a good book to read on the ride to Quox. There were a few romance novels, the complete works of Doctor Nikidik, and some mystery book involving Ozma the Bilious' diadem. None of them looked interesting. But then I noticed a book written by Lady Glinda, who had only recently handed power over to her daughter, Fabala. Apparently she had just published a memoir: _A Wicked Life – the Story of Me and My Best Friend_. On the cover, there was a picture of Lady Glinda in her youth and Elphaba Thropp, the forty years dead witch whose reputation was mixed, to say the least. To the Animals, she was legendary, a champion of their rights. To old sympathizers of the Wizard, she was practically Kumbrecia's spawn, a wicked witch who was evil just for the sake of being evil. And to Lady Glinda, apparently, she was a best friend. As a person whose family had only been in Oz for two generations, I really had no opinion whatsoever on Elphaba Thropp. But I supposed this book would make me form one.

 **Let me know what y'all think! Thanks for reading!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Luckily, I managed to board the train as soon as it arrived at the station, so I was able to get an empty compartment that I hoped would stay empty. Yes, this is a little racist, but I'm always automatically wary of Ozian strangers, mainly because I haven't had many good experiences with them. Sometimes I get "DO YOU SPEAK OZISH?" yelled directly into my ear (you know, foreigners can hear everything you say, they just might have trouble understanding you), sometimes it is assumed that I am help, and of course, I get the creepy men who have a fetish for non-Ozian women. I always think, _Ew. Lurline, why don't you like a woman for her personality?_ So I closed my compartment door, hoping that would dissuade my fellow travelers.

As the train filled up, my phone rang. It was my mom. Natch. "Hi, Mom."

"Loya! How was your last show?"

"It was great! How's everything there?"

"Oh, fine, fine. If only I could get your father to stay in this house for more than five clock ticks. He's been gallivanting since we got here. But I've made you cake. And fruit soup." _Knew it._

Before I could respond, though, I heard in the background: "Ay, cariña, who are you talking to?" My Abeula Willa, my mother's mother. My parents were staying at her house for the summer.

"Loya, Mama."

"Oh, let me talk to Loya!" I heard the phone being handed over with no protest. "Oh, how is my superstar? I am so proud of you! I tell all the ladies at chapel: 'My granddaughter is a theatre star!' As your grandmother, I have full bragging rights!"

I laughed in agreement. "I know you do, Abeula. Look, I gotta go, 'cause they don't let us use our phones for the first few clock ticks, but I'll see you in a couple hours, okay?"

"Okay, Loyita! Viaje seguro!" _Click._ Abeula Willa always liked to have the last word in phone conversations.

Only one person dared enter my compartment: a Rabbit who had earbuds stuffed in his ears, not paying attention to me at all. Perfect. After all, I had my reading material: _A Wicked Life – the Story of Me and My Best Friend_ , written by none other than our Throne Minister, Glinda the Good herself. I settled in for a good long read.

Some time later, I was jolted out of my book by, "Hey! Lady! The refreshments person just came around with some pretzels. You want some?" The Rabbit was looking at me like I was nuts.

"Huh? Sure." I took a few pretzels from him so he wouldn't think I was a weirdo. I went back to the book for a second, but then I decided to stop and think about what I had read so far.

I honestly hadn't known what to expect going into Glinda's memoir. I had heard that there had been some silly rumors early on in her reign that she and Elphaba Thropp had been lesbian lovers; maybe Her Goodness just wanted to dispel those rumors. I couldn't have been more wrong. Lady Glinda had essentially written a biography of her friend: I read how Elphaba Thropp composed a ten page essay to convince her father to let her go to Shiz University, how she was so fucking powerful that she got into an exclusive sorcery seminar on her first day at Shiz.

Elphaba Thropp was offered a job to work with/for the Wizard of Oz, but she really gave him the middle finger once she found out that he was a bigoted phony. Yeah, really don't blame her, those qualities aren't exactly what I would want in a boss either. Anyway, according to Lady Glinda, Elphaba (Can I just call her Elphaba? I mean, I know she's a historical figure, so I guess I should call her Thropp, but she had a sister, and this book was kind of making me feel like I knew her.) enchanted a broomstick and flew out of a window like nobody else's business. So awesome.

I kept reading, and found that Elphaba fought for Animal rights from the time she met His Ozness until her death five years later at the hands of Dorothy Gale from Kan-ziz. It is certain that she spent a night with Prince Fiyero Tigulaar of the Vinkus before he was killed the next morning, and their affair may have been intellectual before that. Lady Glinda reflects in her memoir that Prince Fiyero definitely was in love with Elphaba since their college days, and she may have been in love with him too.

I finished reading about fifteen clock ticks before we arrived in CQ. Dorothy Gale melted Elphaba Thropp with a bucket of water, and a heartbroken Glinda the Good kicked the Wizard out of Oz for ordering his own daughter to be killed (yeah, THAT shocked me), reversed his dumb Animal Banns and funded the building of Dillamond Academy in the EC, an homage to an old Goat professor they'd both had at Shiz. Holy shit.

 **It was like Elphaba Thropp reached out of history and wouldn't let me go until I told her story.**

Reuniting with my family was a blur, to be honest. Mom and Abuela Willa fussed over me in both Ozish and Quoxian about how I was too thin and I needed to eat more. I happily obliged, and ate my weight at dinner that night. Dad introduced me to all his old friends as "my award winning daughter." I felt my _Ozma Heights_ character Ninus, except I didn't have the secret shame that I didn't deserve all that praise.

On my third day in Quox, I sat down on Abuela Willa's back porch, and started writing. "The Elphaba Mixtape" was definitely a possibility. Her story was Smallie, it was Ronac. In short, it was hip hop.

 _How does a bastard, green girl,_

 _Daughter of a whore and humbug,_

 _Delivered through a forgotten childhood in Munchkinland,_

 _Forced to hide her talents without a glitch  
Grow up to be a hated wicked witch?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello hello hello (as Lin would say)! Here's the third chapter!**

 **If you want to see the real life version of what happens in this chapter, YouTube "Lin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton White House."**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

I was so absorbed in writing that I didn't notice that someone had sat down next to me until I heard Abuela Willa say, "Loya, cariña, what are you working on?"

I jolted back to the 2nd year of Lady Fabala's reign. "Uh, a rap, Abuela. I'm thinking about doing a concept album."

Abuela Willa shook her head fondly. "You are nonstop, Loyita! You just closed a musical, for Quox sake! What is this concept album about?"

Surprisingly, I was not at all afraid to say it. "Elphaba Thropp."

"Ah, la malvada bruja del oeste," Abuela Willa said thoughtfully. "I remember when she first came to power. All of Oz was scared mierda! But we were not here in Quox. Elphaba Thropp never bothered us, and I was a young woman then, absolutely gaga over your abuelo, may Lurlina rest his soul. I didn't care much about Ozian affairs."

"Well, she was actually pretty awesome," I said, unable to resist nerding out. "You know, she once protected a bunch of Animals during a sit-in at some diner in the Emerald City. They were demanding service, and she put, like, a magical shield around them so the Gale Force couldn't get to them. And in the end, the diner had to serve the Animals! Isn't that awesome?"

Abuela Willa just smiled. "You always did love history."

I finished the rap by the time I was due back in Oz. My parents were going to stay in Quox for a bit. My dad was finally thinking about retirement, so my parents were considering moving to CQ. But for me, it was back to my little apartment in the Emerald City, which just two blocks too far to the east to be in Ozma Heights. My first night back in Oz, I called the genius woman who had arranged all my music for _Ozma Heights_ , Alla Secker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alla!"

"Loya! Did you get some sun in Quox?"

"Oh, I always have sun. It's a gift of my people. Be jealous. Anyway, I finally figured out what I'm gonna do for Lady Fabala's 'celebration of the arts.'"

"Oh, do tell!"

"I wrote a rap about Elphaba Thropp. I'm pretty damn proud of it."

"Elphaba Thropp? You mean, the wicked witch?"

"Yeah!"

"To be honest, it sounds like a horrible idea. But then again, I wasn't sure how a musical about a neighborhood of immigrants would go over, so meet me tomorrow at my studio and show me what you've got."

"Okay! See you then!" I understood Alla's skepticism. Her grandfather had been a lieutenant in the Gale Force, so she had received a lot of "witch bad, wizard good" propaganda growing up. But I was determined to convince her.

The next day, I was at Alla's studio. Alla was sitting at her piano, my scribbled lyrics on her stand. She fiddled around with different melodies that could be the background music to my rap. "'Damn fool that melted her?'" she suddenly asked me. "So this is from Dorothy Gale's point of view?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I figure Dorothy could narrate the whole mixtape so the listeners can have a familiar voice. Everybody loves Dorothy."

Alla sighed. "Okay. Alright, how do you like this for an intro?" We spent two weeks perfecting the music until we were satisfied.

Now, I'm sure you want to know about the real life Vanestor I met at the train station. I did text him, and call him, and we had gone out on a few dates. I learned he was a biologist at UEC, just finishing his fellowship. Since his family, like mine, had only been in Oz for a short time, he had no real opinion on Elphaba Thropp, so he was tolerant of my enthusiasm. Our early dates mostly consisted of me going on and on about Elphaba, with him humoring me and occasionally interjecting with details about whatever microorganism he was studying that week. I invited him to go to Lady Fabala's arts thing with me, and he said yes.

The day of Lady Fabala's celebration of the arts finally came. Vanestor actually had to pick me up because my auto was in the shop. He joked that this was the first time he had ever escorted a lady to the Palace this early in a relationship, and we had a good ride. When we got to the Palace, we were met by Alla, who had the lyrics and music to my precious new creation in a messy pile in her arms. The three of us wasted no time in finding our seats in the drawing room of the Palace.

At age 40, Lady Fabala still had most of the legendary beauty she had inherited from her mother. Her face was still pretty despite the slight wrinkles at her eyes and mouth. Her shoulder length hair was still blonde, and she still managed to pull off the satin dress she was wearing that evening. "Welcome to the Palace!" she greeted us. "My mother is so sorry she can't be here, but she's still getting over a cold. She sends her best. Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for the arts. When I went to Shiz, I took a music class, and it turned out to be one of my favorite classes in college. I believe artists and art educators should be more appreciated in Ozian society. And that's what tonight's all about. Enjoy, everyone!"

I was so nervous, I barely listened to my fellow performers. Delgada Ronnett was there, singing something from her latest album. Theeme Upstar, the famous Hamster poet, recited his poem about working in a restaurant kitchen as a boy. _Please, I want to get this over with._

But finally, Lady Fabala said, "Alright, now it's time for Loya Samete, creator and star of the musical _Ozma Heights_!"

Vanester gave me a reassuring smile as I left my seat. Alla was already at the piano by the time I was onstage. It was go time. "I'm-I'm thrilled the Palace called me here tonight," I began. I was also terrified. "I'm actually working on a hip hop album; it's a concept album about the life of someone I think embodies hip hop, Elphaba Thropp, the Witch of the West."

Everyone laughed.

"You laugh! But it's true! She grew up as a second class citizen in her own home, she went to Shiz University and got noticed by the Wizard for her magical talent, but she chose not to work for him because of the unfair laws he was implementing on the Animals … she was basically hated by everyone in this country, and all because of her ideals, I think she really embodies the strength of character one has to have to make a difference. Um, I'm accompanied by award winning music director Alla Secker."

From the piano, Alla smiled and nodded as everybody recognized her.

"Let's see, anything else you need to know … Oh, I will be playing Dorothy Gale from Kan-ziz. And, uh, snap along, if you like." Alla began to play, and I took a deep breath. _Here we go …_

 _How does a bastard, green girl,_

 _Daughter of a whore and a humbug,_

 _Delivered through a forgotten childhood in Munchkinland,_

 _Forced to hide her talents without a glitch  
Grow up to be a hated wicked witch?_

 _The mother of Animal rights without a mother  
Got a lot farther by workin' a lot harder,  
By bein' a lot smarter,  
By bein' a self-starter,  
By eighteen, _

_They promised her a job in the Wizard's charter.  
And every day while Pigs were being slaughtered and carted  
Away across the fields, our Elphaba kept her guard up.  
Inside, she was longing for something to be a part of:  
The sister was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter.  
Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned.  
Our girl saw her future drip, drippin' down the drain.  
Put a pencil to her temple, connected it to her brain,  
And she wrote her first refrain, a testament to her pain.  
Well, the word got around, they said, "This witch is insane, man!"  
Riled up the Gale Force just to send her to the Promised Land.  
They wanted her head on a platter, they forgot from whence she came, _

_And the world forgot her name!_

 _What's her name, girl?  
Elphaba M. Thropp.  
Her name is Elphaba M. Thropp.  
And there's a million things she hasn't done.  
But just you wait, just you wait.  
When she was two, her mother died, full of drugs, in labor.  
Two years later, see Elphie and her sis, crippled,  
Both disgraced, sittin' in their own shame,  
The tension thick.  
And Elphie got better but her sister never did._

 _Went to see the Wizard, the Wizard wasn't what met the eye,_

 _Left her with nothin' but ruined pride, somethin' new inside:  
A voice saying, "Elphie, you gotta fend for yourself."  
She started retreatin' and readin' every spell book on the shelf.  
There would've been nothin' left to do  
For someone less astute;  
She would've been dead or destitute  
Without a cent of restitution.  
Started workin', clerkin' for the Animal campaign lords, _

_Rememberin' things she could no longer afford:  
Scammin' for every book she can get her hands on,  
Plannin' for the future, see her now as she stands on,  
The back of a carriage headed for a new land._

 _At Shiz, you can be a new women._

 _The carriage is in the port now,_

 _See if you can spot her,  
Another student tryin' to be a starter.  
Her enemies destroyed her rep, _

_The land of Oz forgot her.  
And me? I'm the damn fool that melted her!_

 _Elphaba M. Thropp,  
We are waiting in the weeds for you.  
You could never back down,  
You always had to speak your mind. _

_But Elphaba M. Thropp,  
We could never take your deeds from you. _

_In our cowardice and our shame,_

 _We will try to destroy your name!  
The world will never be the same, Elphaba! _

_Yeah. I'm the damn genius that melted her._

The audience laughed throughout the whole thing, especially the first time I said, "Elphaba M. Thropp." At the end, everyone gave me a standing ovation, including Lady Fabala. Maybe I was just imagining this, but it also looked like Lady Fabala had a thoughtful look on her face, like, _I am going to tell my mother about this._ I don't know. It could have been just wishful thinking on my part.

 **Yes, Alla Secker is based off of Alex Lacamoire. I had to.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry! I know you thought this was a new chapter! Yeah, this story's dead now. I think it was a mistake to write an OC-centric story. But at least I tried.**

 **And, you can check out my new story, The Governor and His Children!**

 **Cheers!**


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